In-house trainingBehavioural Interviewing

Behavioural Interviewing: Hire for Proof, Not Promises

Participants learn to ask the same behavioural questions of every candidate and score the answers against a rubric. They leave with a question bank for their roles and a scoring sheet.

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Behavioural Interviewing course cover
Key Outcomes
Define what the role needs
e.g., three or four attributes, such as problem solving and customer focus
Write behavioural questions
e.g., "Tell me about a time a customer was angry with you. What did you do?"
Probe for evidence
e.g., ask what the candidate personally did and what the result was
Score with a rubric and decide on the evidence
e.g., describe what a poor, borderline, solid and outstanding answer looks like

Why teams need this

Many interviews run on gut feel, chat and "culture fit". Each candidate gets different questions, and the loudest candidate wins. Gallup says companies "miss the mark on high managerial talent in 82% of their hiring decisions".

The research
Sackett and colleagues (2022) found structured interviews had the highest validity of the selection methods they reviewed, at r = .42, ahead of job knowledge tests (.40) and cognitive ability (.31). This revised earlier estimates that put cognitive ability first.
Google's approach
Google re:Work says structured interviews use vetted questions, recorded feedback, standardised rubrics and interviewer training. It reports they save on average 40 minutes per interview, and that rejected candidates who had a structured interview were 35% happier. It also advises separating behavioural from hypothetical questions.
Group work and role-play
Teams write questions and a rubric for one real role. Then they role-play an interview with a candidate who gives vague answers, practising follow-up probes.

Exercises use your open roles and the attributes you need. Participants use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to listen for complete answers.

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